Which one should I buy? Over the last 3 weeks I have been struggling with which one of these fine blu-ray players I should buy next?
My music/movies split is pretty much 50/50. My number one and two choices are Denon DBP-2012UDCI and Oppo BDP-93 respectively because both are Universal Players and will play all formats including SACD, DVD-Audio, and HDCD.
Here are the Pros and Cons of these players and you can help me decide which one I should go with by taking the survey above. I don't care about streaming capabilities so those are not listed.
#1 Denon DBP-2012UDCI ($899):
Stay Tuned for my upcoming review
My first universal player was a Denon DVD player DVD-2910 which I purchased back in 2003 for $600 from Crutchfield. I loved that player because of its excellent Audio and Video capabilities. No player has remained in my system longer than the 2910. I sold it (big mistake) in 2007 to pay for the PS3 (fatty) which is about to beat the 2910 in terms tenure in my system this October. I have also owned a host of other blu-ray players (between $400 and $1000) since the format was first introduced back in 2007 including the top of the line Pioneer Elites, Sony, Samungs, and Panasonics.
PROS:
-3D, Universal Player (SACD, DVD-Audio, and HDCD)
-BURR-BROWN PCM-1795 192kHz/32-bit audio digital-to-analog converters. Same DACs as the Onkyo TX-NR5007 which I have first hand experience with and loved.
-Independent Block Construction isolates electronic circuits for faithful playback of audio and video tracks
-Direct Mechanical Ground Construction suppresses vibration and ensures high-quality sound and video
-Standard definition content from DVDs is deinterlaced and scaled up to HD via Anchor Bay Technologies VRS ultra performance ABT-2015 processor
CONS:
-no built-in Wi-Fi
-The front plate is plastic
-Anchor Bay is good but I prefer Marvell's video processor with Qdeo™ technology
-Previous Generation Denon's have been a little sluggish and slow with firmware issues
#2 Oppo BDP-93 ($499):
Oppo has made quite a name for themselves since they first burst on the scene with their upconvert DVD players in the mid 2000's. I personally have not tried an Oppo yet and have always been curious. I chose the Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD over the Oppo BDP-83 last year after reading Tom Norton's Blu-ray shootout on UltimateAVmag.com, in which he compared the video on the 23FD to Marantz 7004 and the Oppo 83.
PROS:
-Fast Load times
-Solid Build
-3D, Universal Player (SACD, DVD-Audio, and HDCD)
-Plays FLAC, WAV, and other media through USB and eSATA.
-Dual HDMI, but only HDMI-1 uses Marvell processing while HDMI-2 uses the Mediatek decoder.
-Wi-Fi (with provided USB adaptor)
-Qdeo by Marvell
-Best Customer Service in the World
CONS:
-Cirrus Logic DACs. Not a fan
-I think I have seen multiple firmware versions since the release. Makes me wonder a bit
#3 Samsung BD-D6700 ($399):
This one is interesting. I just read a review of this player in the July 2011 issue of the Hometheater magazine by Kris Deering. He said and I quote "the BD-D6700 provided all the picture and audio quality I get from even Oppo BDP-95. Images were razor sharp, with jaw-dropping levels of detail and dimensionality. The audio experience was second to none." This is what has made me add the BD-D6700 to this list. Pretty impressive!
PROS:
-Superfast load times
-Gorgeous Looks
-3D
-Dual HDMI,
-built-in Wi-Fi
-2D to 3D upconversion
Cons:
-Samsung? I do not like Samsung Blu-ray players
-If you are looking for solid construction, look elsewhere.
-no name DACs and Video Processor
-not a Universal player
-no Analog outputs
-subpar DVD-upconversion
-Did I mention it is a Samsung
#4 Oppo BDP-95 ($999):
Review and First Impressions coming soon as I just purchased the BDP-95. Stay tuned!
Pretty much the same as the BDP-93 but with upgraded Audio Section for 2-channel and Multi-Channel analog audio. The upgraded audio is available in the form of ES9018 SABRE 32-bit Reference DACs. That is true high-end Turf.
PROS:
-SABRE32 Reference Audio DAC delivers an impressive DNR (Dynamic Range) of up to 135dB and THD+N of -120dB.
-Toroidal Power Supply for Analog
-XLR Balanced Stereo Output
-Competes with players that cost 4 times or sometimes 10 times as much, e.g. (AYRE DX_5 $9,950)
CONS:
-Hometheater magazine mentioned BDP-95 and Samsung BD-D6700 in the same sentence and stated that the digital Audio and Video performance of the Samsung was just as good as the Oppo BDP-95. Things that make you go hmmm!
